Forsterite, a material used for production of ceramic electronic components, is usually produced by mixing and pulverizing Mg(OH)2 powder and SiO2 powder and firing the mixture so that the Mg(OH)2 and SiO2 react with each other.
One method for producing a forsterite powder has been proposed in Patent Document 1. In this method, forsterite (a magnesium-containing oxide powder) is produced by forming liquid microparticles of a solution containing magnesium and silicon and firing the microparticles in the suspended state in an oxygen-containing gas.
A firing (calcining) step is essential for the production of the forsterite powder. With the technique of Patent Document 1, a forsterite powder can be economically produced at a relatively low firing temperature by firing the liquid microparticles in a suspended state.
The above technique, however, has the problem of increased equipment costs because it requires special equipment, such as an ultrasonic atomizer, for firing the liquid microparticles in a suspended state and powder separation equipment, such as a cyclone separator, for separating the resultant forsterite particles.
A common method in which a mixture of Mg(OH)2 and SiO2 is allowed to react by firing rather than using the method of firing in a suspended state, as in Patent Document 1, has the problem of increased thermal energy costs for firing because the firing temperature must be raised to around 1,200° C. Another problem is that firing under high-temperature conditions approaching 1,200° C. causes the particles of forsterite powder to grow to an excessive particle size for use as a material for electronic components.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-002640